Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2007-08: Marc-Andre Bourdon was named the QMJHL's Defenseman of the Year in his second season playing for West Division regular season champion Rouyn-Noranda. Bourdon scored 12 goals with a team-best 47 assists in 69 games for the Huskies. He had the team's best plus/minus (+39) and accumulated 114 PMs. Bourdon scored 2 goals with 16 assists and was +10 with 25 PMs in 17 playoff games as the Huskies reached the QMJHL Finals. Bourdon was ranked 125th among North American skaters by Central Scouting in its final rankings and was selected by Philadelphia in the third round (67th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft.

2008-09: Bourdon opened his third QMJHL season with Rouyn-Noranda and finished the year with a great performance in the Memorial Cup with the Rimouski Oceanic. Bourdon skated in 37 games with the Huskies before being part of a multi-player trade deadline deal to Memorial Cup host Rimouski. In 54 regular season games between the two teams, he scored 12 of his 18 goals on the power play and had 42 assists. He finished the season +15 with 112 PMs. He skated in all 13 league playoff games as Rimouski reached the semifinals and had 1 goal with 12 assists and was -2 with 25 PMs. Bourdon had 4 assists in four Memorial Cup games as the Oceanic's only win came over eventual Memorial Cup champ Windsor.

2009-10: Bourdon's first season of pro hockey with the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) did not show immediate results. After opening the regular season with the Flyers but not seeing any game action, he got off to a slow start as a 20-year-old after being sent to the Phantoms. He was limited to 69 games due to some nagging injuries and scored 2 goals with 17 assists and had 53 PMs. He finished the season -9 as Adirondack was last in the East Division.

2010-11: Bourdon struggled in his second year of pro hockey. He had 1 goal with 6 assists and was -11 in the first 32 games with Adirondack before suffering a concussion which kept him out for over two months. In March he shuffled between Adirondack and ECHL Greenville and after the Phantoms season ended he returned to the Road Warriors for the ECHL playoffs. In 46 games with Adirondack he had 1 goal with 9 assists and was -4 with 84 PMs. Bourdon had 2 assists and was +3 with 14 PMs in five regular season games for Greenville and in ten playoff contests was -1 with 3 assists and 16 PMs.

2011-12: Bourdon saw his first extensive action with the Flyers, appearing in 45 games for the NHL club. He scored 4 goals and added 3 assists for 7 points to go along with 52 penalty minutes. Bourdon also appeared in one playoff game for the Flyers, posting no points or penalty minutes. Bourdon also spent time with the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms, appearing in 18 games for that club. He scored 1 goal and added 3 assists for 4 points while registering 31 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Expected to push for a spot on the Flyers' blueline after a strong finish the year before, Bourdon missed most of the season due to concussion-like symptoms. Bourdon played with the Flyers' AHL affiliate in Adirondack during the NHL lockout; playing his last game of the year with the Phantoms on November 30th against Binghamton. He scored 1 goal with 3 assists in 17 games and was -5 with 59 penalty minutes. Adirondack missed the playoffs after finishing last in the Northeast Division.

Talent Analysis

Offensive defenseman.

Future

Bourdon entered the 2013-14 season on the injured list with post-concussion symptoms. His timeline to return to action is not known, but if/when he does return, he;ll most likely need some time in Adirondack before getting another shot with the Flyers. Bourdon needs to work on his technique in the defensive zone and his skating before he can be an NHL regular, but he has shown good things. With the Flyers defensive depth, it may take some more time before he earns a permanent spot with the Flyers.

Photo: Center Scott Laughton is currently the only Philadelphia Flyers prospect to have been drafted in the first round. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

While the Philadelphia Flyers have not had the most dazzling prospect pool in recent NHL memory, they have had a steady amount of success from the top of their ranks. While consistently trading away first and second round picks does not provide the steadiest foundation from which to build an organization, the Flyers have had almost astonishing success making trades for high-end players who are just hitting their developmental stride.

Photo: Agitating forward Zac Rinaldo is the only member of Flyer's 2008 draft class to currently play on their NHL roster. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The 2008 Draft Class for the Philadelphia Flyers is an odd look at a success that could have been. It is not as if the organization should chalk the entire year as a front office failure, but it does boast a few cautionary tales of how doing everything seemingly correctly can still bring about disastrous consequences. A team can prepare for the worst but bad luck can find anyone at any time.

Photo: Forward Tye McGinn has been one of the more pleasant surprises for the Philadelphia Flyers this season. McGinn has played in 16 NHL games with the Flyers. (courtesy of Nick Turchiaro/Icon SMI)

The Phantoms' franchise, even before it moved to Glens Falls to become the Adirondack Phantoms, has been in a state of struggle underneath a successful NHL franchise. This comes despite a large amount of success from drafted prospects. The Phantoms have not really been successful since winning the Calder Cup during the NHL lockout year of 2004-05. Two early exits from the postseason over the course of what will be seven seasons of hockey does not suggest a steady foundation of prospects on which to build an NHL franchise.

Photo: Though the Columbus Blue Jackets added several important prospects this past off-season, none were more prominent than defenseman Ryan Murray, who was selected second overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. (Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Below is the bottom third of the NHL Team Rankings in terms of prospects as voted on by Hockey's Future staff. To determine the ranking, each team's entire prospect pool was taken into consideration. For reference, just the top five prospects are listed. To be eligible, a prospect must meet HF's prospect criteria. The rankings are done twice a year, with the second scheduled to be published in the Spring.

Photo: Marc-Andre Bourdon is one of several Flyers defensive prospects who already has some NHL experience on his resume. (Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

While the Philadelphia Flyers prospect pool consistently hovers near the bottom of the league, it is not for a lack of production. A steady stream of graduates has kept the team rotating through young talent since the end of the 2004-05 NHL Lockout. Though they once again lack blue-chip prospects within their pool, most of the weight for the future of the team is carried by young NHL players such as Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, and the Schenn brothers, Luke and Brayden.